


ThorQuill Week 2018

by EveandJohnny



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), and post Avengers 4, but also lots of fluff, except Gamora, hence very angsty, just: Thanos is dead and everyone's well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-07 20:36:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15227400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EveandJohnny/pseuds/EveandJohnny
Summary: The collection of prompts for this year's ThorQuill Week. There is hardly a coherent timeline, just that everything happens after Thanos' death.





	1. Bright Eyes, Dreams and the Cracklin' Rosie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 1 - Dance

The farewell to the Avengers hadn’t been an easy one. But it had been necessary. Even though they were extraordinary like him they were Midgardians in one way or the other. He was a space creature and so he had happily accepted the invitation of the Guardians to travel with them. Though he couldn’t help but fondly remember both the relaxed evenings and the adrenaline-loaded adventures he had had with his comrades from Earth. But the Guardians were just as misfit a bunch as the Avengers and so he had no problem adjusting.

It was week two after they had left Wakanda with Thanos finally being demolished. The Wakandan royal family had been rather courteous with providing the Guardians material and knowledge to build a new spaceship in which they could take off again to save the galaxy.

Thor sat on the upper lookout and leafed through a photo album Cap had given him as a farewell present. He had never thought Cap so sentimental but then again Cap had had to say goodbye to too many people already whom he couldn’t give keepsakes. So he probably wanted to make this right at least once. Thor smiled when he discovered each and every picture; Cap or whoever had assembled the photos had chosen the carefree and funny ones. There was the occasion where they all had taken turns in lifting Mjölnir and whoever had taken the photo had perfectly captured Thor’s brief moment of disbelief when the hammer had moved a tiny little bit under Cap’s hands before settling back into a relieved sigh as even Captain America proved to be “unworthy”. One of the very recent ones had been taken in Wakanda; he was sitting with Cap, Wilson, Stark, Banner and Barnes on a sunny terrace and was listening intently to Barnes’ life story whom he before had known only as the Winter Soldier and whom he had considered an enemy. Many things had changed throughout the time that he was an Avenger but most of it had just turned out fine.

As Thor sat there and remembered the old days, he suddenly stopped flipping the pages. There was something disturbing the comfortable silence in the lookout. It was high above the engine room so it couldn’t be its thrumming. Thor pricked up his ears, put down the album and stood up. He went to the hatch and peered through the glass pane that disclosed the events below him. Peter stood right under the hatch and sang one of his favourite songs. Thor opened the porthole quietly. Now it was obvious how off-key Peter actually was.

Scrunching his nose, Thor called below “Hey Quill, you may keep singing if you deign to sing it correctly.”

Peter looked up, nearly startled to death. “Man, Thor, you can’t just call on me like that. At least give me a warning before you use your authority voice on me.”

“My authority voice? What’s that supposed to be?”

“Well, your deep ‘I’m Thor, God of Thunder’ voice” Peter replied with a very bad impersonation of said voice.

Thor shook his head. “That is not how I sound.” But he smiled. “Anyway, go on but make sure to hit the notes.”

Peter eyed him suspiciously for another second, then put his headphones back in and continued. This time, though, he didn’t do it comically but sincerely.

By this, Thor was a little thrown off. Peter actually had quite the fine voice, baritone probably. Now that he sang right, Thor even recognized the song. In a quieter moment, which now seemed an eternity ago, Darcy had shown him her favourite movie as a kid, _Watership Down_ , and this had been the soundtrack. It was a touching song that melted even the heart of a mighty God. He couldn’t help but close his eyes and sway to the unhurried tune.

“Hey, Thor!”

He snapped his eyes open again, just to see Peter’s hand right in front of his face.

“Wanna come down?”

“What for?”

Peter grinned scheming. “Just come down, will ya?”

Though unsure what to make of this, Thor still climbed down the few rungs fixed to the hatch. When he stood in front of Peter, he sized him up curiously.

Instead of an answer, Peter took one headphone out of his ear and offered it to Thor. He took the tiny piece of plastic and eyed it for a moment. “I know it goes into one’s ear but how?” he finally said and looked up.

Peter smiled gently and took his hand, guiding it to his ear and putting the headphone there. Then he pressed play on his Zune and Thor heard the song again, this time with the soft voice of the original singer and barely audible strings in the background. Being a little overwhelmed, he didn’t protest when Peter put Thor’s hand on his own waist and kept the other up in the air. Then he started to sway them back and forth to the rhythm.

They just looked each other in the eyes until Thor whispered “Why do we do this?”

“You want me to stop?”, Peter asked, his shoulders going tense.

Thor shook his head. “No. I was just wondering.”

Peter exhaled relieved. “I don’t know” he finally said. “I just felt like it.”

Thor’s smile was wide. “I like it.”

“Another?”, Peter asked and his eyes sparkled with mischief.

Thor nodded but then he stilled. “How do you know that?”

Smirking, Peter shrugged. “That’s a secret.” Then he skipped through his Zune and picked another song. He smiled and pulled Thor a little closer to him, who was listening intently to the dreamy yet powerful female voice serenading about these dreams that went on when she closed her eyes.

“Very good choice” Thor complimented and moulded further into Peter’s arms. Though Peter was by no means small, it still looked a little comically as Thor was yet another head taller and his shoulders were broader. He tilted his head. “Maybe we - we should switch?”

Peter hesitated a moment but then he put his hand on Thor’s waist. He nodded. “Yeah, that’s better.”

Thor smiled and leaned forward until their foreheads were touching. Then they took up dancing again.

After a while Peter huffed and said “I have danced with Gamora a couple o’ times but she’s not really a dancer, you know. But to you it seems to come natural.”

“Do you think? Well, my mum liked to take my hands and dance with me when I was little. But I haven’t danced ever since.”

“But if you have it in you you can’t unlearn it. You’re doing pretty amazing, to be honest.”

Now it was Thor’s turn to huff. “We are just slow-dancing. There is not much you can do wrong, now is there?”

“Well, why don’t you show me what moves you got?” Peter stopped and scrolled through his Zune. “Ah, yeah, that gets your feet movin’! And you better listen to it on speakers.” He let go of Thor, went over to the stereo he had insisted on mounting into the ship and connected it with his Zune. An upbeat acoustic guitar filled the room and, indeed, it got Thor’s foot tapping immediately. Peter grinned as he watched Thor waggle his shoulders and shake his arms. “There you go, that’s what I meant!”, he said and started to move along.

“Oh, you have not seen the best yet” Thor replied with a smug grin and described a slow circle with his hips, drawing nearer to Peter and pulling him towards him before spinning him into a pirouette. Peter just laughed with all his heart, it was the lightest he had felt in years now, maybe even since before his mom’s death.  Thor twirled him around and around, even as the song ended. By happy coincidence though, an even catchier came on and they just kept dancing.

They were so engrossed in their fun that they didn’t even notice how Kraglin walked into the room. As he noticed what he had stumbled into he inhaled embarrassed but the pair was oblivious to him. “Okay...?” he said under his breath, watched it for another moment and then  awkwardly walked backwards out of the room.


	2. Ardor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Promtpt 2 - Victory

This time Thor had aimed for the head. Thanos’ headless body swayed to and fro before it tumbled down to the ground with a crash. The gauntlet clinked. It was now merely a decadently oversized child’s toy. Thor breathed heavily and stared at the purple blood that smeared his axe. He threw it down disgustedly, then looked around. Wong stood a couple of feet away, looking as he was about to collapse. He managed to stay upright but then threw up behind a bush. The strain of controlling the Time Stone among the other Infinity Stones had been nearly too high. Thor couldn’t smile yet but he walked over to Wong and patted his back in passing. In less exhausting times he would have probably taken him into an amicable and nearly crushing hug but nothing yet had been so fatal than the fight against Thanos.

 Luckily, Captain Marvel, a woman who he only knew shortly but already admired greatly, had come to the rescue and there also had been this rugged Ravager called Kraglin who had seemingly come out of nowhere and appeared to know Rocket quite well.

Speaking of the racoon, Thor turned to look for him. What he saw made him finally smile. Rocket was reunited with his friend, or his son, the tree. When he noticed Thor watching he waved one of his twig arms and shouted “I am Groot!”

Thor waved back and yelled “Yeah, good to see you, too, friend!” Then he made his way over to Cap who sat opposite of Bucky and Sam. They were looking at each other quite dumbfounded. Thor just shook his head as he passed them, but he still smiled.

And so he walked around the battlefield, witnessing reunions everywhere. He was happy for all his comrades, lucky that he fought with them and won this time. But his heart still stung when he remembered how Thanos had killed his brother. In the back of his mind, he hoped that Loki had somehow managed to fake his death yet again but the hollow feeling in his stomach taught him otherwise.

When he had greeted everyone, and had also been introduced to the king of the country they had fought in, he stood in the middle of the battle field, feeling very lost. Suddenly a green flash of light parted the baby blue sky and struck the earth. Was this another attack? Thor felt too tired to fight again but he raised his hands anyway. Everyone around him got ready as well but their stances were less precise, as if they were holding themselves up with the last shreds of energy they had.

As the smoke and dust cleared there was a heartbeat of silence. Nobody said anything, nobody moved and most didn’t even breathe. When half a dozen figures rose from the crater the sunlight hit the armour of two of them and Thor thought he glimpsed a red cape swish. Then he could finally see them clearly. It was the missing party, the one he had parted ways with to find Stormbreaker, together with Stark and the wizard. He felt laughter bubble up inside him and was the first to break the defence posture and fall into a jog.

“Hey Quill!” he shouted. The addressed turned, confused. But when he saw the God of Thunder approaching the most thankful grin lit up his face, he quickly stumbled over the remnants of earth and ran towards him.

“Thor!” he just called and then already fell into the strong arms of the man he knew only shortly yet felt as if they had been friends forever.

“You are alive”, Thor whispered and buried his face in Peter’s soft hair.

Peter snorted. “Yeah, again. I don’t know what I’d have done if you were gone as well.”

Thor leaned back and looked at him carefully. “What do you mean with ‘as well’?”

An angry growl rumbled in Peter’s chest, so intimidating that Thor involuntarily stroked his back to calm him. “Thanos, that goddamn purple bastard, exchanged Gamora for the Soul Stone.”

Thor narrowed his eyes but before he could reply he was interrupted by Stark “Hey Thor, would you come over for a moment?”

Thor looked at Peter who just shrugged but he deemed to have seen a playful smile on the lips of the man who called himself Star-Lord. So Thor could do nothing besides marching over and find out. As he neared the crater he saw a person in a green leather coat turned with their back to them. They were guarded by Drax who was connected to them with handcuffs.

“I think this is somebody you know” Stark said with his arms crossed in front of his chest. There was also a skinny kid who watched him wide-eyed and with an open mouth. A little awkwardly, he nodded to the kid who went beet-red and seemed on the brink of fainting, before he turned his attention to the cloaked figure.

“Brother?” he finally asked, not sure if this was a dream, a joke or indeed reality. He received a snarl as an answer when the figure looked over their shoulder and turned out to be actually Loki.

“Thought I was dead? I’m very sorry to disappoint you but weed does not pass” they mumbled, not too pleased with their current situation. They gave a startled yelp when they were enthusiastically yanked upwards and drawn into a hug. Instinctively, they reached for their dagger but their hand got pinned down by a spider web.

“Oh, it’s so good to see you again. I don’t even hold you accountable for counterfeiting your death the umpteenth time” Thor said sentimentally.

Peter looked alarmed to Stark who just shook his head. “Asgardians” he mumbled with a shrug.

When Thor finally let go of Loki and held them at an arm’s length his face glowed with childlike excitement. “I just had a brilliant idea” he exclaimed.

“Oh dear me” Stark and Loki muttered in unison. Stark perked up when Thor pointed at him.

“You take the gauntlet and separate the Stones. We also need a spaceship because we are going on an adventure!”

The scrawny kid clapped and jumped enthusiastically up and down. “Can I come, too? I’m Peter, by the way, Peter Parker.”

“Nice to meet you, Peter Parker. But unfortunately I must tell you no. This is not for the faint-hearted.”

“Oh let him rest. He fought Thanos without an entire army in his back like you. He just had us” Peter intervened and softly touched Thor’s bicep.

He quickly glanced over to him, then eyed the other Peter. “If so, then you are perfectly welcome -“

“No!” Stark interrupted impatiently. “He is going back to his aunt, back to school. It’s already enough that he _had_ to fight Thanos once. Nope, he is not going to space _again_!”

“Oh, Mr Stark, please!” Peter gave him his best puppy eyes.

But Stark just firmly shook his head and pointed his finger at his skinny chest. “You go home and Cap will make sure that you arrive there safely.” Then he turned to Thor. “I will join you. But under one condition.”

“Which is?” Thor didn’t sound reproachful, just curious.

“First I will visit my _wife_ and spend a couple of days with her. She deserves it.”

To Stark’s surprise, Thor nodded. “Absolutely! We will need some time anyway to built a new space ship. We will just call you when it’s done. And if she’s in the mood, she can come along, no problem at all.”

“I don’t think that’s what she wants” Stark said under his breath but now nobody was paying attention to him any longer.

Thor had just hugged Loki again and said “And you, Brother, will join us as well.”


	3. No Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 3 - Space

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies in advance - this is going to be cruel for all Gamora lovers.

„I still don’t think it’s a good idea that we brought Loki.” Peter followed Thor down to their little galley.

“Why not? There’s nobody better at scheming and whoever guards Vormir will probably not be too courteous in exchanging the Stone for Gamora” Thor replied as he poured himself a cup of water.

“That’s basically my point. What if he turns on us? I mean I saw how he wanted to stab you if Spidey hadn’t pinned his hand down with his web. You cannot trust him. He’s just like Nebula and I’ve seen how that turned out, too.”

Thor glared at him. “It’s ‘they’, not ‘he’!”

Peter was confused for a moment, then it clicked. “Oh, okay. Uhm, sorry. But still!”

“I know where your concerns come from.” Thor sighed. “They’re not called ‘God of Mischief’ for nothing. But it has gotten better. They were very helpful when we escaped from Sakaar and fought our sister. And if all else fails we can still ‘get help’.”

Peter wondered why Thor emphasized the help so much or what that kind of help would actually look like. But before he could inquire more, Loki materialized in a corner of the galley. They looked not amused.

“We will not ‘get help’ again! I’m tired of being thrown around by you.”

Peter felt so many things at once. Shock that Loki had appeared out of nowhere. Anger that they probably had listened in on them. And confusion about why getting help involved throwing around people. “Can you explain this to me?” he asked. Then his pager beeped. Rocket ordered him up to the bridge. “Well, sometime later” he added before he left the galley.

When they were alone, Loki suddenly seemed very anxious. They fidgeted with the hem of their sleeves. “Thanks” he finally whispered “for correcting my pronouns.”

Thor smiled fondly and put an arm around their shoulders. “Not for that. But please try to stab me less in the future.”

*** 

When they reached Vormir, they were astounded by its tranquillity. A pale moon shone over the rugged landscape. They landed in a crater full of soft sand but hesitated to leave.

When Peter stepped outside he felt his spirits sink. The planet was big, not the size of the earth but certainly large enough that it would needed days to find the spot where Thanos had left Gamora. He sensed Thor’s presence beside him and leaned against his shoulder for a second in the look of support. They looked at each other and Thor smiled encouragingly but Peter couldn’t really drag himself to return it.

Stark stalked down the ramp in his suit and observed the planet. “I don’t know what this is but it sure looks interesting” he said and pointed to a whirl of dark clouds over one of the highest peaks of the mountains.

They looked in the direction. “Huh. Well, it’s the best shot we have, isn’t it?” Peter said after a moment and started to walk that way. Loki decided to stay behind to keep an eye on the ship. Peter wanted to protest but Thor just nodded and soothingly stroked Peter’s shoulder.

It was a long and wearing ascent. The higher they climbed the colder it got and the harder it was to breathe. Stark and Thor didn’t have a problem, but Groot and Rocket soon fell behind and Peter also had his trouble to keep up with them. But he pushed through nonetheless. He was so close to getting Gamora back that he wouldn’t cop out now.

They finally passed a gate hewn into the stone and stepped onto a plateau that stretched into a fogged horizon. A cloaked figure approached them and when it looked up, they sucked in a sharp breath.

“What is this? I’ve never seen something that hideous before! Disgusting” Rocket muttered and simulated puking.

“It doesn’t matter who I am” the figure declared in a hushed whisper.

“But I do know you. You’re Johann Schmidt, the mad leader of Hydra” Stark said.

Schmidt eyed him for a long moment. “Do I know you?”

Stark shook his head. “No, but one of my acquaintances.” He hesitated a moment, contemplating if he should tell Schmidt about Cap or not. In the end, he decided against it. He just said “Though I guess his greetings for you wouldn’t be the most amicable ones. But that’s not why we’re here. We are here for a trade.”

“A trade?” Schmidt sounded like he raised an eyebrow if only he still had some. “What do you have?”

“We want to return the Soul Stone and exchange the token that was given for it. The life of Gamora, daughter of Thanos” Thor said with the voice Peter once had called his authority voice. Peter himself was oddly quiet. Though he usually had a quick tongue and never feared anyone really, now he was unable to say anything at all. But he eyed Schmidt with all the loathing that he felt.

“Oh that” Schmidt said, hesitating. “That I am unfortunately unable to return.”

The statement hung in the air for a second, then Peter exploded. “Why?” he shouted and approached Schmidt, grabbing his cloak and yanking him forward.

“Because” Schmidt sputtered and tried to free himself from Peter’s iron grip but Peter just held him tighter. “Because even though her soul is still intact her body is shattered.”

“Liar!” Peter spit. “I want to see her. Now!” He let go of Schmidt who bowed and backed away referentially.

“If you don’t believe me then look for yourself. Would you follow me for this?” He indicated to the fog that engulfed the cliff a few yards away.

Peter exchanged glances with Stark and Thor. They nodded and took a step forward to give Peter emotional support. A procession like, they followed Schmidt to the edge. A deep abyss gaped before them. They tried to peer down and make out shapes, but it all got blurry down at the bottom.

Thor finally said “I will go down and retrieve her.”

“And if it’s a trap?” Stark whispered and grabbed him by the shoulder. Then he shot Schmidt a dismissive look.

But Thor shook his head, a corner of his mouth lifting. “I’m a God, remember?” Then he stepped over the edge and fell.

“Thor!” Peter called in disbelief. He peeked down in the void. A trail of lightning blazed after Thor that illuminated the rocky cliffs but even with that the bottom was still invisible.

***

After what felt like an eternity, Thor shot up again. He stood before his comrades and tentatively laid down Gamora’s heavily injured body. Her limbs were twisted at an unnatural angle and her face was distorted as if she was screaming. But her eyes were shut and her body still.

Peter couldn’t believe what he saw. He knelt down, shoulders shaking violently and wanted to touch her – but he didn’t dare. “No!” he whispered, tears threatening to spill down his face.

Rocket came curiously forward but when he realized what had happened to his companion he became furious. With a ringing war cry he stormed over to Schmidt. “What did you do to her, you bastard?”

Schmidt backed away, intimidated by the raging raccoon. He held up his hands in defence. “I didn’t do anything. It was Thanos who threw her down the cliff. Even though he claimed to have loved her.”

Peter snorted, even though the tears were running down his cheeks and landing on Gamora’s torn clothing.

“What if we – if we heal her with one of the stones? Maybe the Time Stone? Or what about the Reality Stone?” Stark offered.

Peter raised his head, hope gleaming in his flooded eyes, but to his surprise, Thor shook his head. “I doubt that it would work.”

“But we were gone, too, and came back.”

“Yes, you were gone. But were you dead?”

Peter’s shoulders slumped. “ I – I don’t know” he whispered.

Thor perched down beside him. “I don’t know what happened to you, either. But you weren’t killed. You just vanished. You may have been in another dimension. But your body and your soul were both intact and still connected to each other. I’m sorry that this is not true for Gamora.” He put his hand on Peter’s back and pulled him towards his chest.

“But why?” Peter’s voice was strangled, barely audible. “It’s not fair!” he cried.

Schmidt, propped on a long staff, sympathetically shook his head. “Nothing in life is fair. Take me for instance. I was blown from Earth before I could implement my plans and now I’m forever stuck on this empty planet.”

Stark glared at him. “I highly doubt that your fate can be compared to Peter’s. You deserved what happened to you.”

Schmidt stared at him with narrowed eyes and huffed. “I think I now know who your acquaintance is” he hissed.

“Not that it is of importance now.” Stark shrugged. “We will take her with us and leave the Soul Stone here. A good for a good, right.” He received a kick against his armoured shin from Groot for this callousness.

„What? That’s just how it is. But I want to give her a decent funeral just as much. Even though I didn’t know her. Satisfied?” Stark gave him a raised eyebrow.

Groot pouted. “I am Groot!”

“He’s not satisfied, he’s angry, as we are all” Rocket translated mechanically. His eyes were empty as he stared at Gamora’s body.

“Come on, Stark. Let’s just give him the Stone so we can go. This place is depressing” Thor said, his voice drenched in sadness.

Stark walked over to Schmidt and scowled at him. “The next time a tyrant demands the Stone you just kick him with your staff over the edge.”

Schmidt snorted, but waved his hand. “Go ahead” he said. “Throw the stone into the abyss and you are all good to go.”

Stark looked at the Soul Stone one more time before he flung it down with all the strength he could muster. The stone fell and fell, soon vanishing in the mist that swallowed all sound. He turned, gave Schmidt one last scornful look, then marched over to his comrades. “We should go. The quicker we get of this damned planet the better.”

Peter still hesitated even as Thor had lifted Gamora already up to take her away. Rocket nudged him with one foot. “We should go. Staying here wouldn’t bring her back.” Their eyes met and Peter was surprised to see Rocket so wretched. It was as if he was looking into a mirror. He finally nodded and got up. Following a sudden impulse, he took Rocket’s hand and he was even more surprised when the raccoon didn’t even flinch, let alone protest against the display of affection.

Schmidt behind them sneered but Peter ignored him. Stark was right. On Vormir they wouldn’t find any comfort.


	4. Snake On The Loose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 4 - First experiences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just for the laughs ;)

The first present had to be perfect. It should stay in the mind of the presentee forever. But it also shouldn’t be too big, items in the realms of a space ship or a magical axe fell flat. The gift needed to present both the fondness Peter felt for Thor and his friend’s interests. And as it was supposed to be a surprise, Peter couldn’t ask him. It was all very complicated.

Peter sat on his bed and racked his brains in search of a suitable idea. As he was about to give up entirely - Thor didn’t know about the present so if he postponed it nobody would know - his intercom beeped. Silently welcoming the distraction, he leaned over and accepted the call.

“Hey Banner, what’s the matter?” Peter asked, sounding more than surprised to see Bruce Banner on the other side of the line.

“Ah Quill, I’m supposed to ask you from Stark when you are going to return back to earth. No clue why he didn’t do it himself.”

That was indeed a strange request. Peter had talked to many of Stark’s acquaintances, above all his wife Pepper Potts, a sweet yet resolute lady. The AI Friday had contacted him several times and it had felt so strange to talk to nothing but thin air. Even the other Peter, little Spidey, had been on the phone on behalf of Stark once or twice. Never Banner though.

But this suited Peter greatly. He just got reminded of a conversation he, Banner and Brunnhilde had in the days when they were waiting for the new airship to be built. They were telling him yet another weird aspect of Thor’s relationship to his brother Loki. Thor loved snakes very much and so they once had transformed into one to stab him yet another time. Peter really had wondered if this wasn’t just Loki’s crooked way of showing affection.

Now it was the detail of Thor loving snakes that stood out in Peter’s thoughts and he might have yelled in triumph if Banner still hadn’t been on the line. “Tell him we won’t get there before the next moon. We still have some business to do. Oh, and Banner, Thor’s favourite animals are snakes, right?”

Banner looked utterly confused. “Uh, yeah? What do you need to know that for?”

Peter waved. “Nothing of importance. Don’t forget to tell Stark, yeah?”

Banner shook his head. “I won’t. Tell the others I sad hi, okay?”

“I will. Bye Banner.”

“Bye Quill.” Because Peter was about to close the line he missed that Banner muttered “Don’t get yourself in trouble _again_.”

When the screen was dark again, Peter grinned like a Cheshire cat. He couldn’t wait for their next stop to Xandar.

***

It was challenging to smuggle a terrarium with a snake onto a space ship. But Peter had disguised it as a simple cargo box and made sure to handle it himself all the time. This way, he could carry it into his quarters without raising suspicion.

Now he set the box down on the bed and opened the lid. A green-and-brown-striped snake, about a foot long and as thick as his thumb, curled around a twig and lifted its head as the light spilled into the terrarium.

“Hey there buddy! I know it’s not nice in that box but you gotta hang in there for a bit more. You’re gonna get to know your new friend in the evening, okay?” Just as he gently stroked the snake over the head his pager beeped.

“Peter, quick! We’re under attack!” he heard Rocket’s distressed voice crackling through the tiny speaker. As if to underline his words, the ship tilted under a hit and Peter had trouble keeping his footing.

“I’ll be right back” he promised the snake and managed to store the box under his bed before sprinting out of his room. Though in his hurry he forgot to close the door.

***

After the assault had been successfully averted, Peter returned. He didn’t worry much when he saw the open door. But his heart sank when he discovered the box in a corner where he was sure he hadn’t put it. Especially not lying on one side, lid wide open.

“Oh no” he muttered, paling. He got on his knees and peered under the bed. It was too dark to see so he used the flashlight he kept in his back pocket to lighten the corners. But there was no snake. He felt panic rising in his stomach but he told himself to calm down. There were still plenty of possible hiding spots for a snake in his room. He checked under his sheets, _in_ his sheets, between the frame and the mattress. No snake. So he went over to his desk and had a thorough look into his drawers. No snake. Just when he had scrambled into his closet to search between his clothing there was a knock on the door.

“Peter?” Thor opened the door but there was no sign of his friend. He heard a muffled “I’m here” and when he looked into the direction it came from he saw Peter’s boots sticking out of the closet. He went over. “Are you okay?” he asked. It seemed a legit question to him as Peter was buried under what appeared to be tons of clothing.

Finally, Peter’s head emerged from the heap. He tried his best to look innocent. “Yeah, I’m good. I just remembered my favourite shirt from when I was a kid and I wanted to know if I still had it.”

To Thor, this seemed a perfectly rightful reason to disappear into one’s closet. So he didn’t press the topic any further. Instead, he asked what had been bothering him ever since they took off from Xandar. “Have you seen Loki? I can’t find them anywhere.”

A cold shiver ran down Peter's spine. It was an improbable thought, as they were older now and hopefully less childish. But it was not entirely impossible. Because it was true. He hadn’t seen Loki either since they had parted ways after their arrival. Was it maybe possible that Loki had, once again and for whatever reason, transformed into a snake and he, Peter, had unknowingly bought them in a zoo shop in Xandar? The thought was wild but one way or the other, he better quickly found the snake. To his horror he realized that he didn’t even know if the snake was poisonous or not.

He looked up to Thor and scratched his head. “Uhm, sorry, I don’t know where they are. Have you checked everywhere?”

Thor shook his head. “Not everywhere. I just came past your room on my way around the ship. Next place would have been the galley. Maybe they're just playing hide and seek with me, disappearing from a place just when I enter it. It would certainly fit their sense of humour.”

Peter was again amazed at how stoically Thor put up with all the shenanigans his brother was committing. He also hoped that Thor’s theory would prove to be true and his was merely a phantasm. “Uhm, should I help you looking? Maybe we can corner them?” It was also a good opportunity for him to look for the lost snake.

“That would be great, thank you!” Thor’s face shone like a Christmas tree. He helped Peter up who had come to the conclusion that the snake had obviously left his room by now.

Together they went outside, then split up to go through the ship. They searched the engine room, the galley, the bathroom, they quickly checked the other’s quarters but Loki was nowhere to be found.

After their hour-long tour through the ship Thor and Peter stood in the middle of the hallway and looked each other a little desperate.

“Shit” Peter muttered, his theory becoming more and more plausible by the minute.

Despite the messy situation, Thor smiled. “Even though it’s not good there’s no need to use profanities.”

Peter looked sheepishly up at him from under his eyelashes. “Sorry. But what now?”

Thor bit his lip. “I don’t know.”

Suddenly a scream echoed through the hallway; it sounded utterly frightened.

“Where did that come from?” Thor’s brow was furrowed.

Peter wasn’t sure, either, but when the unknown person cried out again it dawned on him. “Oh god, Kraglin!”

They hurried towards the former Ravager’s room. They had checked it before as well but hadn’t seen anything suspicious. Now they found Kraglin crouching on his desk. When he saw who came in he sighed in relief. “Thank goodness, you’re here! There’s a snake sittin’ on my bed!”

They followed his outstretched index finger and, indeed, the snake on the run was curled into a heap on Kraglin’s mattress and seemed to be peacefully asleep.

“Does any of you two know how a motherfreakin’ _snake_ got onto our ship?” Kraglin’s voice rose an octave.

Thor shook his head but Peter twisted his hands in embarrassment. “Uh, yeah?” he said quietly.

Kraglin’s eyes went wide and his shoulders shook so violently that it seemed as if he was about to topple from the desk. “Fuck’s sake, Quill! Didn’t you know I’m afraid of freaking snakes? How much time did we spend together in the last years? And how about tellin’ us before bringin' it here?” Kraglin’s face was white as a sheet. Then he had an idea and he went even paler. When he spoke again his voice was nothing but a hoarse whisper “Is it poisonous?”

Peter twisted his hands even more. “I don’t know.” His words were barely audible.

But Kraglin had heard them nonetheless. He grabbed his overall where his heart was and rolled his eyes, though it was unclear if it was feigned or real. “You must be freakin’ kidding me! How can you not know?”

“Forgot to ask.” Peter shrugged. “But I don’t think she is. I asked for a snake suitable for a beginner. They wouldn’t give out poisonous snakes to beginners, now would they?”

Kraglin was about to respond with another snappy remark but Thor shot him a look and shook his head. “Kraglin is right. If you wanted to bring a pet on board it wouldn’t have been a problem. You just should have told us.” He put an arm around Peter’s shoulders.

Peter knew that he couldn’t withhold the truth any longer. “I couldn’t because it was supposed to be a surprise. For you.” He looked up to Thor.

“For me?”

“Yeah. I remembered that you loved snakes. Banner had told me. So I thought it would be neat to gift you one. But now I’m thinking that she” he pointed at the snake which still lay undisturbed from all the fuzz on the bed “could be your missing brother. You said yourself they had a strange sense of humour.”

For a moment, Thor was quiet. Then he got onto eyelevel with snake and poked it gently. “Loki?”

The snake sleepily raised its head and looked at him. It slowly uncurled but stayed where it was.

“Doesn’t seem like Loki to me. They would have probably also chosen either green and gold or green and black as their colours. Brown is too dull for them” Thor said.

Kraglin had climbed down from the desk by now and stood on the other side of the bed, critically observing the scene. “Why would this even be your brother? Wait, no, I don’t really want to know. I sleep better knowing as little as possible about your Asgardian tomfoolery.”

Peter had quietly sighed in relief when the snake hadn’t turned into Loki. But that still didn’t solve the riddle of their whereabouts.

“Tell me” Thor said, raising Peter out of his thoughts. “Why did you want to get me a snake, apart from the fact that they’re my favourite animals?”

Feeling caught, Peter went beet-red. Kraglin noticed and rolled his eyes. But he smiled. He walked to Peter and leaned in to his ear. “Tell him! I can’t watch all this dancing around each other any longer!” Kraglin smiled encouragingly when he leaned back, but there also was a hint of sauciness, causing Peter to go even redder. Then Kraglin left the two of them alone.

“Um” Peter sat beside Thor who had picked up the snake. It coiled around his wrist and slowly wriggled around his fingers. “I, uh, wanted to make you happy, that’s all.”

Thor laughed quietly. “How is that ‘all’? To me, it seems a pretty big deal, to make someone happy I mean.”

To Peter’s surprise, Thor took his hand and interlaced their fingers. Suddenly, Peter had trouble breathing. He turned to Thor with the intention of laying his head on his shoulder when his pager beeped.

“Hey Quill, is Thor with you?” Rocket asked and Peter thought to hear hardly suppressed laughter. “Because I think we have found his brother.”

Peter cursed Rocket for the miserable timing because beside him Thor shot up like a jack-in-the-box and was at the door before Peter had even fully processed what was happening.

“Have you heard that, Peter? We better get going!”

Peter had no other choice but to follow Thor up to the bridge. There he found Rocket and Drax cackling with all their heart while Mantis and Groot watched the intercom screen with utter confusion.

“Your brother” Rocket managed to say between fits of laughter “Your brother” - another burst of laughter - “is stuck on Xandar! Ahaha!” He nearly doubled over he was laughing so hard.

“Stuck on Xandar!” Drax repeated and pounded his chest in delight.

Loki’s face on the other side of the line was nothing but a snarl. “This. Is. Not. Funny! How could you forget me on this goddamn planet?”

Peter stepped in front of the camera, hands poised on his hips. “We didn’t forget you. You were not in time is all. You may have noticed that we’re on a tight schedule and can’t afford any delays.”

“So if I turn up at the point where the ship had been secured one lousy minute later you let me just sit here? After all I am a God so I demand some respect!” They were fuming.

But Peter was not impressed. “It was not ‘one lousy minute’. We waited for fifteen minutes - the maximum time frame - and yet you failed to turn up. You had your chance but you blew it.”

“I didn’t blow anything. Not yet anyway. But if you step in front of my eyes again I will-“

“Now, now, brother, is it really that bad? We are scheduled to land on Krk tomorrow, why don’t you just take a space ferry and meet us there? I’m sure if you bribed the captain he would be happy to let you be the only customer.”

Loki was still pouting but most of his rage had dissolved. “Fine” they finally muttered “But you have to pay the bribe for me!”

Thor smiled soothingly. “Sure, brother, no problem.”

 


	5. I Will Never Leave You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 5 - Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow-up to day 3, "No Comfort".

„I don’t want to see anybody!“ Peter cried and stormed off. He had restrained himself all the way from the gate to their ship but now he couldn’t keep it in him any longer. All the anger and despair about the failed mission needed to get out. Like blind, he picked his way over the eerily quiet planet, the soft sand under his feet swallowing every noise.

When he had traced a good mile he stopped and looked up to the skies where a beautiful space panorama with foreign planets spanned over his head. It just made him angrier. He wanted thunderstorms to tear up the clouds, flood the planet and devastate the lands. He didn’t want tranquillity and beauty because they couldn’t compete with Gamora’s beauty, but likewise a thunderstorm couldn’t compete with her fierceness. She just was lost forever. By now, he should be used to it - but he wasn’t. He had loved two women in his life and both had been killed by men, no monsters, who had claimed to have no other choice. That they were dead as well was too little a comfort.

He screamed when the image of Gamora’s dead body floated into his mind to haunt him. Why had he demanded to see it? He could never sleep again, he would just be dreaming of it or, in the more foolish moments, colour a picture of a what-if-future where they had children of their own, all adorable little Mini-Gamoras who he would teach what excellent music was and on whom he would do better than his father.

But this would now never happen. He fell forward on his hands and knees and cried. The tears left dark blotches in the sand and quickly assembled into little puddles.

He didn’t know how long he sat there on his heels, hands dug deep into the sand. Suddenly a flash of lightning flew past him. He looked up and saw Thor gingerly approaching.

“I thought I better give you a warning before I startle you.” He stopped a couple of feet away and gave Peter a crooked smile.

“I’d said I wanted to see nobody” Peter replied, but rather weakly as if he was merely justifying it to himself.

Thor grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, I know. But Rocket heard your scream and was worried. Well, he would never admit it if his life depended on it but Groot sensed it. Anyway” he said and closed the gap between them until he faced Peter “You are not feeling too well, are you?”

Peter huffed. “Awful doesn’t even come close to it.” He tried but he couldn’t hold back the tears again. “I miss her so much. And even though Thanos is already dead I’d like to strangle him with my own bare hands. He pretended to be her father but disposed her the second it was convenient for him. Just like my father did with my mother. They never thought of anybody but themselves. And I-” Peter choked. “I couldn’t do anything to prevent that!”

He perked up when he felt a big arm being wrapped around his shoulders. “You know as much as I do that this is not true. The one time you were eight. You did what you could, more than any eight-year-old should ever need to do. And the other time you faced an enemy that even the God of Thunder needed a second attempt to kill at. There is absolutely no reason for you to be angry at yourself. It is not your fault, it never was” Thor said with such an authority that Peter couldn’t help but believe him.

He looked up to Thor, not yet smiling, but the tears had finally dried. “Okay” he said, his voice on the verge of breaking.

“That’s better.” Thor smiled and leaned against him. “I know that you feel as if all the people whom you cared for left you - even if it was unintentionally. But I promise you that I will not leave you, never!” He pulled Peter in his lap and Peter didn’t protest. “And because I can live to be, like, 9000 years or something you have to bear with me for quite a while” he added with a cheeky grin.

Now Peter finally smiled, even though it was still a little shaky. “That’s a prospect I can live with.”


	6. Cap Gave Me A Cap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 6 - Pride

„Hey Quill, you know what day we have today?“ Kraglin asks as he swaggers into the room, a towel slung around his narrow hips. His hair still drips from the shower he just took.

Peter raises an eyebrow at him. Yes, he has a thing for lads, he has managed to find that out by now. But no, not for the scrawny ones. So he is fairly undisturbed by Kraglin's cocky attitude even though Kraglin stands otherwise naked in front of him. “No” he says, “I don’t know what day we have, enlighten me.”

It’s not Kraglin who answers him but an excessively happy Mantis. “It’s Pri-hide!” she singsongs and jumps around as if some fool has just given her too much sugar.

Her exclamation lets him pale. Shoot, he absolutely forgot about that! That’s why Kraglin has showered in the morning, not at night as he usually does. That’s why Mantis is so wound up.

At the beginning of June, the Guardians had agreed to join Pride on whichever planet they would stop first. But as it turned out, not many peoples celebrated Pride, mostly due to the fact that in many, gender was regarded as something unimportant, merely a side note in biographies and they therefore usually didn’t face any oppression. But the Guardians wanted to celebrate. They had never attended one, but what they’d seen from the ones on Earth they thought thrilling and absolute fun. So in the end, they resorted to going back to Earth. Just a day after their decision, Cap had called and had invited them to join New York Pride. That settled it eventually.

And today is New York Pride and they all stand in a hallway in the Avengers Centre just outside New York, the replacement for the Avengers Tower in the heart of the city which everyone had agreed had been too pompous.

Peter turns as he hears heels clacking on the parquet. Gamora strides out of her room and she looks absolutely flawless. Instead of just her usual red tips she has her hair dyed in various shades of red, pink, and purple. Beneath her leather vest, she wears a tight-fitting batik dye shirt in the rainbow colours on which is written across the chest _Sounds gay. I’m in!_

Peter nearly falls in love with her all over again. But her appearance makes it pretty obvious that there wouldn’t be anything beside deep mutual respect from her side for him. But he doesn’t mind, because behind her his boyfriend marches in, handling the matter a lot less subtly. Thor wears a white shirt with the print _Both? Both! Both is good!_ in pink, red and blue, all accentuated with glitter, and to make it even more obvious he has a bi-pride-flag knotted around his shoulders. He glances to Gamora and gives her back a squeeze, all the while broadly grinning, before he walks over to Peter, leans down and kisses him deeply.

That leaves Peter flustered and he feels even more out of place as he isn’t wearing anything remotely connected to Pride.

“Hey Quill, don’t you think you forgot something?”

He turns again to see Cap entering the hallway, tossing him a shirt on which _Stay Pan_ is printed in pink, yellow and a lighter blue. He catches it and flusters even more. “Uh, thanks. That’s pretty neat.”

“Told you he would love it” Thor says beaming and high-fives Cap who is a walking asexual flag: black cardigan, grey shirt, white shorts and purple sneakers. Bucky appears beside him, wearing the same shirt as Gamora and shooting her the finger guns when he notices it.

“Are we ready?” Kraglin asks, walking back in-between them fully dressed now. He is the only one without a pun or joke about their identity on his clothing, his plaid shirt displays on the back _#translivesmatter_.

Thor claps his hand in a childlike excitement. “We are!” Then he throws one arm around Peter’s shoulders and the other around Cap as they walk outside to their cars.

Peter catches a glimpse of Mantis, now wrapped in an oversized rainbow flag and giggling the whole time, and Gamora holding hands before he gets into the van. He is surprised to find Bruce riding shotgun, a green, white and black striped hat on his head. “I didn’t know you were coming as well?” he wonders.

Bruce shrugs. “I didn’t know, either, but then Cap appeared at my door and thrust that cap in my hand.” He indicates the hat, then snorts at the pun he just made. “Hahaha, Cap gave me a cap, got it?”

Peter smiles lightly distressed about Bruce’s dad humour. “Ha, yeah. Funny.” Then he turns to look outside the window, the countryside flying past them, and in his stomach he feels the butterflies churning. This will probably be indeed fun, and one wonderfully carefree day spent with his friends and his boyfriend.

As they enter the streets of New York, Cap manoeuvring around to find a parking spot that’s close to the route, Thor leans in to Peter and gives him a peck on the cheek.  “I’m happy to be here with you” he says softly.

Peter melts into his embrace and whispers back “Me too.” Then he looks up, seeks Thor’s blue eyes that still give him chills like on the first day he looked into them and says “I love you” before tilting his head to kiss him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the hardest to come up with but then it was probably the most fun to write. Feel free to shoot me your headcanons, I'd love to see where we agree and where we diverge.
> 
> Also, check out the peeps I lent some of the shirt designs from:  
> https://www.etsy.com/shop/pancakeplayhauze?ref=hdr_shop_menu  
> http://lynkasart.tumblr.com/post/165645533262/hi-im-bi-23-september-happy-bi-visibility  
> https://thatpoptartman.tumblr.com/


	7. The Observatory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 7 - AU - College AU

„Ew, have you seen that jock? I bet he thinks he can get all the girls laid” Rocket snarles as he and Peter walk past a group of eager freshman that stand in the breezy shade of a magnolia tree. They are all assembled around a towering blonde guy with broad shoulders, cheekbones for days and piercing blue eyes.

Why Peter can give such a detailed description even though he has just walked past him? Simply because he has been staring intently at him. And he doesn’t like to admit that because Rocket is probably right. The guy has “jock” written all over his beautiful face. But that’s what it is: a beautiful face.

“Hey Quill, you gonna come?” Rocket calls, standing already over at the cycle rack. His best friend/biggest enemy has gotten the nickname because he once dared to shoot himself out of a cannon in his freshman year. Nobody knew what exactly needed to be proven but it certainly has earned him a spot in the hall of memorable students.

Peter, on the other hand, not so much. He is known as a music nerd, throwing the parties with the best music but otherwise staying pretty much under the radar. That’s why he knows he will never have a chance with the jock. But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t want to get to know him.

Though Rocket won’t be a help at all. Not just because he hates jocks with all his heart. But because Rocket isn’t interested in anybody. Says he has no time for love “and all that crap” (his words).

Peter doesn’t quite believe him but he also doesn’t really care. He only cares about getting close to the forbiddingly gorgeous jock as soon as possible. And there is one person who can make that happen.

***

He meets Gamora after her taekwondo class. As he waits for her to come out of the locker room his breath hitches in his throat. The blonde jock passes him and when he catches Peter’s stare he looks up and winks. Peter feels how he goes beet-red and quickly looks away, just when Gamora emerges from the locker rooms. The jock turns to her and waves, saying goodbye to her.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow, Thor.” She waves as well, then sizes Peter up and down. “You like him” she says matter-of-factly.

“I don’t!” he protests louder than necessary. Some students still lingering in the hall turn their heads in their direction. “I mean, how can I like him when I don’t even know him?” he says quieter now.

Gamora shrugs easily, marching out of the door to cross the campus. “Maybe. But by now I know how you look when you’re absolutely smitten by someone. And I am pretty certain that Thor noticed that, too.”

Her words are light but they sure have their impact on Peter. He sputters as he tries to form coherent sentences of objection. In the end, he decides to change his strategy. Instead of defense, he chooses the direction straight forward. “Can you introduce us?” he blurts as he tries to keep up with her.

She gives him a long look over her shoulder, so long that he already sees his hopes dashed. Then she nods. “Sure. But you have to act more maturely. Just meet me before my art class tomorrow.”

“Okay!” he exclaims happily, then remembers her advice and repeats calmer “Okay. But why your art class?”

Now she grins nearly mischievously, a rather uncommon sight. “You’ll see” she just says sibyllic. Then she waves and leaves him there because she has reached her dorm.

***

When Gamora meets Peter at the classroom the next day, her eyebrows shoot up. Then she slowly shakes her head. “How long did you spend in front of the mirror this morning?”

“I didn’t! What do you even mean?” he says though he is fully aware of what she means.

She just gives him a look and points at his hair. “Gel.” She points at his face. “Cleansed and shaved.” She points at his neck. “Perfume.” She points at his clothing. “Ironed.” She looks into his face again. “You want me to say more?”

Peter is silent for a moment. Then he shakes his head. “No” he answers quietly. “Why am I friends with you again?” he wonders loudly.

Gamora throws her curls over her shoulder. “I don’t know” she says smugly. When someone calls her name, she turns and waves to a quickly approaching Thor.

“Hey, you said you wanted me to be here earlier?” When he spots Peter behind her he smiles and his eyes twinkle in recognition. “Hey, I know you, I think.”

“Uhm, uh, uhuh. Yesterday when we, I mean, I” Peter stammers, getting nowhere with his thoughts.

Gamora rolls her eyes. “Thor, this is Peter, a friend of mine. We started college together.”

“Hi Peter, nice to meet you.” Thor holds out his hand.

Peter stares at the hand like a mouse facing a hungry snake, then receives a jostle from Gamora. That jolts him out of his apathy. He grabs Thor’s hand and shakes it firmly, maybe too firmly, but Thor seems not to be bothered by it. “Nice to meet you, too” Peter finally manages to say.

Before he can say anything else, the art professor hurries down the hallway, glasses askew and tie slack, clutching a blotter with loose papers.

“Oh, class starts. But hopefully we can meet for lunch? Just text Gamora where we can find you, yeah?”

Peter nods enthusiastically. When his eyes meet Gamora’s she rolls them again but one corner of her lip is raised a tiny fraction. She nods to him before she walks after Thor into the classroom.

***

All through his physics class, Peter contemplates if he should text Gamora right away when he gets out of class or if he should let it seem as if he doesn’t care much about meeting Thor again. Deep inside himself though he knows how wrong that is. So he just tells himself to screw it and texts her before his Prof has even ended the class.

They agree on meeting outside at the table under the magnolia tree, the very one he has seen Thor for the very first time. As he makes his way outside, he grips the tray with more force than necessary as it is threatening to slide out of his sweaty hands. He is the first to arrive and already fears he has misunderstood the message. But then he already sees Gamora and Thor walking over the lawn, keenly chatting to each other.

When Thor discovers Peter, he lifts his hand off the tray and waves, balancing it easily on one hand even though it carries a full bowl of soup and three pieces of bread as well as a cup of coffee.

Peter has set down his tray but now he doesn’t know what to do with his hands. “Hi” he says in a strangled voice, shoving his hands finally into his pockets.

“Hey” Thor says effortlessly as he slides into the bench, only a foot away from Peter. “How was your class? What did you actually have?”

“Uh, eh, physics. Was okay. We talked about anomalies in the Milky Way.”

For a reason that escapes Peter, Thor’s eyes go wide as saucers. “You’re studying physics? And you’re actually researching space? This. Is. So. Cool! You gotta know, I love space, but all I can do is draw it” he starts to ramble, basically forgetting to eat about how excited he gets.

Peter is surprised. He hasn’t anticipated to see Thor lose his cool anytime soon. And then over a topic _he_ has shared. This gives him more confidence and he becomes less fiddly. He leans forward. “Yeah, you’re in Gamora’s art class, right? Can you show me some of your drawings? They’re surely way more interesting than me going on about dry physical facts.”

Thor smiles, small red patches appearing on his cheeks. “Now I highly doubt that. It would probably be utterly fascinating. And I, uh, usually don’t show people my sketches.”

“But you should” Gamora says, first time that she chimes in the talk. “You’re amazing. And Peter is certainly able to appreciate art, even though he has given in to the dark side of science.”

Peter shoots her a reprimanding look, but he is smiling all the while. Thor doesn’t seem to have been too hesitant as he already pulls out his sketch book. He slides it to Peter who gingerly picks it up and carefully leafs through it. The more he sees the wider his eyes get.

“You must have been kidding! These are fantastic! There is nothing more beautiful than a starry sky” - except you, Peter thinks, but he doesn’t say it out loud - “and even though I know what stars are and how dangerous they can be, seeing them still takes my breath away.” As he gives the book back to Thor he has an idea. “You know what, I should take you to our telescope. I don’t know where you get your ideas from but I think you would appreciate an undisturbed view at the night sky.”

Thor is now just excited as Peter. He has forgotten his intermediate shyness and is back to his confident self. “Would you really do that? Because that would be so freaking awesome!”

Peter just shrugs. “Sure. Coincidently, I am scheduled for a spot at the telescope tonight so if you care to join me, just meet me at the Observatory at nine.”

“Wonderful!-“ Before Thor can express his joy further his phone rings. He glances at it and smiles even wider . As he answers it with “Hello brother, haven’t heard from you in a while” he waves before walking away, tray balanced on one hand again.

When Peter looks away from him, he sees Gamora smiling slyly at him. “A date at the Observatory, mmh? How romantic.”

“Oh shut up” Peter mutters, his good mood already deflating. Because of that, he stabs one of his carrots with so much force it splits in half.

“Hey” Gamora says gently but Peter doesn’t look up. Just when she speaks softly to him he raises his head. “I’m sorry, Peter. I didn’t want to mock you. On the contrary, I’m very happy for you. Thor is a good chap. As are you.”

He eyes her sternly for another moment before he smiles. “Okay, apology accepted. Thanks for being my wingwoman.” He takes her hand and kisses the back of it, then gets up to get back to his next class.

***

Peter shuffles anxiously from side to side as he waits for Thor to arrive. Though Thor is by no means late. Peter has just gotten here way to early, it is still ten minutes to nine. He is not sure if that is a good thing or not because now he has enough time to think the evening through and it just makes him more anxious.

But when Thor walks out of the shadows, precisely one minute to nine, all his nervousness drops. “Thor, so good to see you!” he calls.

Thor’s face lights up when he hears the address; and when he reaches Peter he pulls him into a hug as if they’d known each other for weeks now, not for barely a day. “You too, Peter. Can’t wait for you to show me the stars.”

“Me neither! And we have a cloudless sky so we should see plenty!” Peter unlocks the door to the Observatory, a small domed house built on the only hill on campus. Inside, it is jam-packed with shelves full of heavy volumes, measuring devices and the odd model of the planets. But the heart of it is a middle-sized telescope for which Peter now opens the roof - he has to operate it manually - and then extends the telescope.

“Wow, this is so exciting! I always wanted to get in here but we art folks are not allowed. Just you scientists because the school fears we wouldn’t be careful enough with the equipment” Thor says in awe as he watches Peter in his preparations.

Peter turns, brow furrowed. “They what? Now I’ve never heard such big bullshit before! Like, I don’t know about your friends but the paintings you showed me were the most delicate things I’ve ever seen. What on earth makes them think you’d be a rowdy?”

Thor shrugs, lightly amused but also deeply thankful for Peter’s defense for him. “I don’t know, my bulky looks?”

Peter snorts. “You’re not bulky, you’re drop-dead gorgeous.” Then he stills when he realizes that he just said that out loud. As he looks at Thor he notices in relief that Thor has just gone as red as he has. “Uh, anyway, the telescope’s ready. Wanna be the first to peer through it?” he asks, voice still slightly wobbly.

“Sure.”

Thor’s answer is too short to really make out his feelings but Peter nonetheless keeps a healthy distance as he explains the functioning to him.

Soon, the awkward moment is forgotten as they both swoon over the beauty of the night sky. Thor surprises Peter again and again with his profound knowledge for a layman, and Thor listens intently as Peter points out stars he has never heard of. Time passes quickly, and when there’s a knock on the door, they startle and Peter looks at his watch.

“Oh shoot, our time’s up!” He goes over to the door and opens it. His friend Kraglin stands on the other side.

“Move, Quill. You can’t block the Observatory all night. I already gave you ten more minutes but you seemed rather engrossed in whatever you’ve been watching.” When he peers over Peter’s shoulder and discovers Thor, his smile gets suggestive. “Oh, been having a date here, haven’t you?”

“Shut up!” Peter mutters and quickly collects his notes, then shoos Thor out of the room before Kraglin can annoy him with his raunchy remarks.

“So, what do we do now?” Thor asks, seeming absolutely undisturbed by the abrupt ending of their session.

“Well, we can still watch the night sky from here, just a lot less in detail.” Then Peter decides to follow his bold streak. “Though I have a feeling that you seem to care less and less about it now.”

Which is true, Thor has been seeking body contact throughout the session, the lingering of his arm on Peter’s getting longer every time.

Still, he asks “What makes you think this?” But his eyes sparkle playfully and he takes a step closer to Peter.

 They are only a hand’s width apart from each other and Peter inhales raggedly as he looks into Thor’s face. He smells like deep woods and salty seas, a fragrance Peter would happily melt into. Before he can think about it, he puts his hands on Thor’s waist.

Thor in return cups his chin and angles his face until his lips touch Peter’s. Inside Peter’s stomach, fireworks explode, as bright and enchanting as the ones from the 4th of July celebrations he had with his mum when she was still alive. He now vividly remembers those evenings when they sat on their porch, sipping sweet iced tea and admiring the spectacle in the sky. And shockingly enough, he feels just as calm in Thor’s arms as he felt in those carefree days. He pushes closer to his broad chest, and Thor moves his hand from his face to his back, pressing him in even further.

They don’t know how long the kiss lasts but they also hardly care. Just when they finally run out of air, they detach from one another. Peter slowly shakes his head, smiling.

Thor is a little confused. “What is it?”

Peter stills and looks him right in the eye. “You. Just you.” Then he kisses him again.


End file.
